WEC legacy growing with fighters' UFC success

With a former World Extreme Cagefighting champion defending his UFC title this weekend, the organization’s legacy is only growing stronger.

When Anthony Pettis steps into the octagon to defend his belt against Rafael dos Anjos, it’ll be the seventh consecutive lightweight title bout to feature at least one former WEC fighter. In the featherweight division, champion and former WEC star Jose Aldo will defend his belt for the eighth time in July.

The organization was a breeding ground for lighter-weight fighters from 2001 to 2010, before being bought by the UFC’s parent company in 2006 and incorporated into the organization five years ago.

One of the fighters who initially made his name in the WEC before rising to prominence in the UFC, Donald Cerrone, counts himself as one who believes the organization was a valuable stepping stone for young fighters.

"I wish we still had the WEC, because it was like having a great farm team," Cerrone said Friday at a Q&A. "The transition coming from WEC to UFC was so smooth to me."

Between Pettis, Aldo, Cerrone former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and former lightweight champion Benson Henderson — to name just a few — the WEC’s roster of stars didn’t struggle to make its mark when they joined the UFC’s ranks.

That’s not necessarily surprising, given that even with a smaller promotional budget the WEC regularly found itself on sports-show highlight reels. Devastating finishes like Pettis’ off-the-cage kick to Henderson’s skull and Aldo’s seven-second knockout of Cub Swanson were shared well beyond traditional MMA circles.

That led to some accusations that the WEC was perfect for all-action fighters who didn’t have the defensive skills to thrive against more accomplished UFC veterans, but it didn’t take long to silence the doubters.

"When we first came over it was like ‘How are these (expletive) WEC guys gonna do?’ and then we started winning and winning and winning, so not anymore," Cerrone said. "I think there’s enough WEC guys still on the roster that we could have a full WEC comeback card."

Cerrone is set to face off against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 187 in May, with the winner earning a lightweight title shot.

DON’T MESS WITH ROUSEY

Just like the ‘radio personality’ who said Ronda Rousey couldn’t take him down last week found out, Cerrone now knows not to mess around with the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion.

Cerrone spent Thursday with Rousey, and a day later he was still beaming with respect.

"The coolest thing is (we were at the gym) and I told Ronda ‘I’m a man, there’s no way you will ever arm-bar me or beat me in a fight’ and she straight looks at me right in the eyes and says ‘There’s gear right there’, " Cerrone said. "That’s badass, right there."

WEIGH-IN UPDATES

There was only one missed weight Friday, as lightweight Daron Cruickshank came in at 157.5 lbs., which was 1.5 lbs. above the allowed non-title fight lightweight limit … Biggest cheer from the Dallas crowd undoubtedly went to Texan Johny Hendricks. The former bantamweight champion may be fighting in the third-to-last fight of the UFC 185 card Saturday night, but he sure seems like the headliner … Weigh-ins are generally a pretty straightforward affair. Fighters are too worn-out from dropping weight to get worked up, so at most there’s a few words exchanged back and forth. Friday’s UFC 185 weigh-in, however, featured a first. As strawweight champion Carla Esparza walked up to Joanna Jedrzejczyk for their staredown, the Polish fighter pulled out a cookie and handed it to her. It’s the second time this week people have given Esparza cookies, with fans handing her a batched of baked goodies at open workouts Wednesday.